We are forever a part of the pursuit to for ultimate perfection. Whether this is in our careers, everyday family life and a great deal in our appearance. We prepare ourselves to take on the world each day, with confidence being the key to success.
A person’s confidence exudes intellect, happiness, kindness and other qualities which make us more attractive beings. While confidence may not be skin deep, we also know that when we look good we feel good. However, this is not just a cliche thrown around, science has proved this too. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, showed that people who appear more confident achieve a higher social status that others. This study also showed that within a working environment, people with a higher social status tended to have more influence over peers within groups, garnering attention and admiration.
Hence your appearance will help you achieve more than just confidence. Beauty may only be skin deep, but at the end of the day, it helps achieve our objective of gaining more confidence and is one of the first steps toward self-conviction. However, confidence through appearance, does not mean a wardrobe change or extreme makeover – enhancing one’s appearance begins with small steps and changes in attitude, which will ultimately pave an easier road to success.
1) Brighten your smile
Frank Sinatra sang it best when he said: “When you’re smiling. The whole world smiles with you.” A smile is not just a gesture but brought on by emotions of happiness, which helps in making us appear more attractive and confident. However, research by the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) suggests that the smile is somewhat of a superpower.
The study, “The Effect of Emotional Expression on Age Perception” revealed that our smiles make us look younger while a frown makes us look older. The study also revealed that smiling can actually help one look thinner. According to the study, sad and frowning faces which were randomly flashed on a computer screen were perceived to be fatter.
Smiling is also suggested to induce as much pleasure as 2000 bars of chocolate. Ron Gutman’s book Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act states that “British researchers found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate.”
According to Health24, the five ingredients of a perfect smile include being natural, the width of the smile, not showing too much gum, not showing too many teeth and the colour of your teeth. Needless to say, more confidence is exuded when you flash your ‘pearly whites’ and they are actually pearly white. Achieving a whiter, brighter smile requires only the dedication of your toothbrush so get out your toothpaste and brush to your heart’s content.
2) No more bad hair days
Nothing beats the feeling of a fresh new hairdo. So often is the scenario of the countless compliments after a new haircut. Whether it is a drastic new look or a slight trim, the truth is people notice. Even if it is not the end result you expected, your new hairdo is bound to attract compliments. More importantly, the hairstyle you choose emits your personality and tells so much about your characteristics.
Straight hair creates the perception that you mean business, while people with curly have been suggested to not be taken as seriously as a straight-hair CounterPath. Nevertheless, having curly can be maintained to emanate a more professional persona. Short hairstyles come across as more powerful in the workplace, with the benefit of the perception of more professionalism and confidence.
What your hair colour tells about you ranges from perceptions of intelligence and sexiness to playfulness and fun. Even grey hair creates the perception of security in one’s appearance, but what is more important is to emit the perception of confidence is the volume of your hair.
According to Everyday Health thick hair is associated with health and vitality, which will of course instantly enhance one’s appearance. Hair experts suggest a dry shampoo on the roots to absorb oils and create an illusion of fuller hair. A teaspoon of baby powder can also do the trick if dry shampoo, is not easily available. gently massaging it into the roots of your hair and scalp will absorb excess oils and make you seem fresher with more volume.
3) Be comfortable in your own skin
From very early ages, we are taught the importance of skincare. Moisturisers and facial care products are of vital significance in helping us look better and boost our confidence. However, the key to using one’s skin to appear more attractive does not lie in lathering on a thick layer of makeup because you will still know underneath that you have problem skin.
From puberty to mid-life problems like frown-lines and wrinkles – your skin has a profound impact on your confidence and hence your attractiveness. Instead of relying on cosmetics to cover up skin issues, create your own skin regime and take care of it. Rigorous skincare regimes are not just for enhancing our look, but also serve as an indicator of good health, in our outward appearance. Without healthy skin, it is hard to feel as attractive. Lack of a skincare regimen can lead to more frequent breakouts, age spots and other issues which can plague your skin.
One should always feel comfortable in one’s own skin and despite whether you face skin issues or not it is important to make your skin, your friend. If you do face a skin condition it is important to understand and build confidence in your skin.
Much like white teeth and a beautiful smile, good skin instantly increase attractiveness. Skincare experts recommend that gentle chemical exfoliating and a good moisturiser can do wonders for the skin. If you are looking to boost your confidence and appear more attractive simultaneous giving your skin more TLC is a great start.
4) More than just a dash of Red
While the colour Yellow is associated with self-confidence and the colour Blue, associated with confidence is general – Red is one of the most powerful colours. Out of a spectrum of colours, the colour Red is associated with more positive characteristics. Award-winning designer, Jennifer Bourn Creative describes the colour Red as being associated with taking action, confidence, and courage. Bourne also suggests that the colour Red is linked to the most primitive physical, emotional, and financial needs of survival and self-preservation.
The colour Red also represents different things to different cultures, in Chinese culture red represents good luck and prosperity. Meanwhile, in Western cultures, the colour Red is commonly associated with meanings of love, passion, desire, heat, longing, lust, sexuality and romance – the colour Red also exudes joy, strength, leadership radiance, and determination.
While flashing your smile is important in enhancing your attractiveness to one of your most arousing assets, wearing red lipstick draws attention to them. Attention to your red lips means that they will be stared at for longer.
If you are comfortable with red lipstick, consider keeping a red dress in your closet. A study by the University of Rochester rated the same participants as appearing more attractive when in a red dress as opposed to any other colour.
However, while wearing the colour Red might make one appear to be more attractive to others, studies have shown the colour to have the power to make themselves feel more attractive. A study in Germany in 2017 required 180 university students to wear a blue or red shirt while sitting in front of a mirror and observe their own reflections. Some of the students found themselves so attractive in Red that they took pictures of themselves instead of looking at their reflections.
5) Opening the Windows to the Soul
While taking care of your skin results in accentuating attractiveness, youthfulness and confidence – the skin is not just the only indicator of youthful beauty. Larger eyes have always been an attractive feature making a person look younger, as it is often seen as a baby-like feature. Viren Swami, PhD, author of The Psychology of Physical Attraction, who cites study data from Asian, African-American and Hispanic participants says: “Women with baby-like features such as large, widely-spaced eyes are typically judged to be most attractive.”
Makeup artists suggest that the best way to maximise the eyes is to draw a line with eyeliner to the top lash line. Thereafter, a smoky shade should be smudged with eye shadow with a brush or the fingers to create a blend. To further enhance the eyes, attention is drawn to eyes with long lashes. David Givens, PhD, an anthropologist and the author of Love Signals say: “Women around the world, in modern and ancient cultures, have taken advantage of eyelashes by making them longer and more visible.”
Andrew Sotomayor, a celebrity makeup artist told Everyday Health that the best way to lashes appear longer is by using a curler. “A curler opens your eyes to look larger and more awake, makes lashes look longer, and helps you look better even if you’re not wearing any makeup at all,” Sotomayor said.
6) Stand up for yourself
Standing tall may not be as easy for some as it is for others, but numerous studies have supported that good posture makes a person more attractive. According to the Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at a zero-acquaintance study by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, displays of expansive posture make a person appear more attractive.
The study showed that better posture alludes to dominance making a person appear more confident. Researchers behind the study suggest that the way people sit or stand can make them more desirable.
Another study from the Northwestern University and the University of California conducted two experiments to see how much of a role a person’s posture played in how attractive people appeared on traditional dates and when appearing on dating apps.
The conclusion from the study showed that both men and women appeared more attractive when they had good posture.
Research has also suggested that having a good posture will also make a person healthier and happier. Good postures is revealed to alleviate pain in certain areas of the body. A study in 1999, showed that sitting at an angle of 110-130 degrees is optimal for spine comfort. Without back pains, a person is more incline to be confident and happy in public. Just by correcting posture.
7) Accentuate your Symmetry
Facial symmetry for many years has been associated with traits such as youthfulness, attractiveness and beauty. In fact, since the ancient Greeks, symmetrical faces have been considered to be a mark of beauty. Researchers suggest that people lose the symmetric in their faces as a result of stress, lack of nutrition, infection and disease.
Two of the facial features which enhance a person’s facial symmetry is, of course, the eyes and eyebrows. Experts say a person’s hair colour should be a shade lighter than their eyebrows, to allow for them to be accentuated. Of course, properly shaping one’s eyebrows adds to facial symmetry.
However, achieving facial symmetry need not require trips to the salon, brow and lash appointments. Quite simply wearing a pair of eyeglasses makes a person appear more symmetrical.
A 2008 study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that body symmetry was also as important as facial symmetry when it came people’s assessment of attractiveness. The study showed that the more symmetrical a person’s body was, the more appealing it became. “In animals with two sides that were designed by natural selection to be symmetrical, subtle departures from symmetry may reflect poor development or exposure to environmental or genetic stress,” said study team member William Brown of Brunel University in the UK.
While, you can never really have the perfect body, achieving body symmetry is easy by adapting a dress code with less flashy patterns and embroidery, opting for a more subtle look.
References:
- Anderson, Cameron,Brion, Sebastien,Moore, Don A.,Kennedy, Jessica A. (2012) A status-enhancement account of overconfidence – Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 103(4), Oct 2012, 718-73 https://cloudfront.escholarship.org/dist/prd/content/qt6s5812wf/qt6s5812wf.pdf
- Norah C. Hass, Trent D. Weston, Seung-Lark Lim (2016) Be Happy Not Sad for Your Youth: The Effect of Emotional Expression on Age Perception – http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0152093
- Gutman, R. (2011) Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act
- Carstens, J (2017) This is the perfect smile according to science https://www.health24.com/Medical/Oral-health/Dental-care/this-is-the-perfect-smile-according-to-science-20160819
- 6 Easy Ways to Fix a Bad Hair Day https://www.luxyhair.com/blogs/hair-blog/6-easy-ways-to-fix-a-bad-hair-day
- Ellis, K (2012) How skin affects self-confidence https://www.sheknows.com/videos/articles/953957/how-skin-affects-self-confidence
- Randall, J (2011) Building self-confidence despite a skin condition https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/839799/tips-for-building-your-self-confidence-with-a-skin-condition
- https://www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-red/
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.2238/abstract
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/beauty-pictures/look-more-attractive.aspx#07
- Vacharkulksemsuk, T. Reit,E. Khambatta, P. Eastwick, PW. Finkel, EJ. and Carney, DR. (2016) Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/03/23/1508932113
- http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323628004578461270192692406